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Category Archives: Ecology
Are Anthills Waterproof?
Written by Nancy Miorelli A few weeks ago I answered a question about what insects do when it rains. Which then prompted this question – what about ants? What about their nests? They are on the ground after all. Well, it’s … Continue reading
How do wasps find other bugs to parasitize?
For our final #KidQuestions post, I thought it would be fun to tackle a question submitted to us by Bridget Mendel’s first grade class: How do wasps find their hosts? I got my start in entomology by going through a … Continue reading
Posted in Behavior, Ecology, Education
Tagged Agriculture, Beneficial Insects, Biochemistry, Caterpillar, Chemical ecology
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Is That Bug a Boy or a Girl?
Written by Nancy Miorelli Lots of people are curious and want to know if the animal they’re looking at is a boy a girl. You can’t tell the difference with every animal just by looking at it. If you can … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology
Tagged Bees, Beetles, Butterfly, Kids Questions, Ovipositor, Sexual Dimorphism, Size
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Will That Bug Hurt Me?
Written by Nancy Miorelli We have to get something out of the way first. A lot of people use the word “poisonous” to mean “It hurt me more than just a bite and I could probably die”. However, “Poisonous” and “Venomous” … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology
Tagged Aposematic Coloration, Bugs, Insects, Kids Questions, Mimicry, Poisonous, Venomous, Warning Coloration
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How do you identify fire ants?
Written by Joe Ballenger Question submitted by Bridget Mendel’s first grade class. Fire ants are a really big problem. They’ve got a really nasty attitude towards both people and other bugs. They’re really common, and it’s too easy to step … Continue reading
Why are some ladybugs half yellow and half brown?
@SciBugs @Stylopidae what is a lady bug called that is half brown and half red? pic.twitter.com/E7JrP8qnzb — Mendel’s Firsties (@bridget_mendel) April 21, 2015 @UKLadybirds How unusual are half-and-half ladybirds like this? It looks pretty unusual to me but was just … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Developmental Biology, Ecology, Education, Evolution, Physiology, Research, Taxonomy
Tagged Biochemistry, Butterflies and Moths, Ceratopogonidae, Colors, Development
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How do you know if a bug has been discovered before?
Post written by Joe Ballenger How do you know if a bug has been discovered before? -Bridget Mendel’s First Grade Class Entomologists have a pretty impressive ability to identify whatever’s put in front of us. It’s a major part of … Continue reading
Which Bug Has World Domination?
Written by Nancy Miorelli There are a lot of bugs on the planet. We currently know of about one million species. Beetles alone make up ¹/₅ of all known species on earth! So if you were to name every species on your fingers, … Continue reading
How Would One Go About Raising Cicadas in Captivity?
Written by Joe Ballenger Today’s question comes from Trevor Knight, via our Facebook page. He wants to know if it’s possible to rear cicadas in captivity. It’s a good question, and one I’ve been curious about myself. Insect rearing is … Continue reading
Posted in Behavior, Ecology, Education, Physiology, Research
Tagged Cicadas, Cicadidae, Insect Rearing, Physiology
9 Comments
Everything You Wanted to Know About Colony Collapse Disorder.
Written by Joe Ballenger Today’s post is a little bit different than our other posts, mostly because we’re doing it on a podcast instead of text. A few months ago, we got a question from Peter Bryant of the Mythwits … Continue reading
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